Lifesaving device



arch 1, 1949. F. MacKENZlE LIFESAVING DEVICE Filed April 2, 1947 w .vm mom om M0 ,www .wm Nm A Tm. n ,Mw A Mw ,a f .m n v a. w BOW QV I m @n t Ln@ o E m o @n o ,Q e mw Q Patented Mar. 1, 1949 UNITED STATES PATENTOFFICE 7 Claims.

encircled, while in the open position, the ends oi .the members arespaced from each other to straddle the neck. A cover of rubber or othersuitable air tight stock iS secured to the handle and includes a sheathportion for each member.

The handle has a seat for at least one inflatins f.

cartridge and .I house ,in the handle movable means including anoperating member. a member in the handle to open a seated cartridge orCartridges and to swing the members from their Open position into theirclosed positions. As an open cartridge is in communication with theinterior of the sheath, my device is innated when the members are intheir closed position.

My devices are of Very real advantage since they do not have thebuoyance of the conventicnal life preserver until the members are intheir closed position. It is thus relatively easy for one in rescuing aperson from drowning to swim with a device held in one hand and to carryit with him under water if it is necessary to dive to reach the victim,Even if the victim is uncon scious, my device may be readily slippedaround his neck and the oeprating member actuated both tc inflate thedevice and' to close it about the victims neck, In addition, if thedevice is applied to the victlms neck from the rear, the handles providea convenient means of safely towing the rescued victim to safety.

In the accompanying drawings, I have shown an illustrative embodiment ofmy invention from which its several novel features and advantages willbe readily apparent.

In the drawings:

Fig. 1 is a section of a life-saving device in ac cordance with myinvention with the members in their enen position.

Fig. 2 is a View, similar to Fig. 1, with the members in their closedposition, and

3 is an enlarged section along the lines `33 of Fig. 1,

At 5, I have indicated a cylindrical handle having at one end a chamber5 and a ring 'l threaded thereon to the ears li of which. are pivotallyconnected the arcuate members 8 and lli so that they may be swung fromthe open besition ci? Fig, l in which they are disposed to straddle aneck into the closed position of Fig. 2 in which they substantiallyencircle the neck.

The arcuate members 9 and I 0 include arms H and l2 respectively whichextend into the chamber ii and each is under the influence of one of thesprings I3 thereby normally to maintain the members 9 and I0 in theiropen position. Preferably, the members 9 and it each include an arcuateframe ld of tubular stock anchored in a base |'5 through which its pivotI6 extends and of which the chamber entering arm `Il or l2 is anintegral part. I have indicated generally at l1 a cover sealed to thehandle 5 and the cover includes sheaths I8 and i9 to fit over the framesof the members 9 and l0, respectively. The .cover Il may be of rubber orany other extensible and air-tight material.

At its other end, I provide the handle 5 with a chamber 20 separatedfrom the chamber 5 by the partition 2l and including seats 22 to supportinating cartridges 23, which may be ci any conventional type in parallelwith the axis of the handle. The chamber 2B is closed by the cap 24threaded on the handle 5.

The partition 2l has an axial bore slidably supporting a rod 25 whichmay, as shown in Fig. 3, be grooved as at 26 to ensure that the chambers6 and 29 are in communication with each other. In the chamber 6, the rod25'has a head 21 and detachably secured to it as at 28 in the chamber2E! is a plate 29. At 39, I have shown a pivot mounted in the chamber 3by a bracket 3| and extending through the wall of the handle 5 and beingsealed as by the cover Il. The inner end of the pivot 3B has a shifterfork 32 connected to the rod 25 and to its outer end is secured anoperating handle 33 by which the rod 25 may be advanced from itsinoperative position of Fig. 1 into its operative position shown in Fig.2.

I provide the plate 29 with a pair of seats 34 in each of which issecured a coiled spring 35 to t over the neck of a cartridge 23 withwhich it is in alinement thereby to yieldably maintain the cartridgeseated. Each seat 34 also has a cartridge opening projection 3S which isoperatively positioned by operating the handle 33.

The head 2l ts snugly within the chamber 5 and `has passages 31extending therethrough to ensure that the chamber 6 is in communicationwith the interior of the sheaths i8 and i9. The head 21 has anaxiallydisposed projection 38 dis posed between the arms l l and l2 to wedgethem apart When the rod 25 is operatively positioned thereby to swingthe members 9 and I0 into their closed position. In practice, the armsIl and l2 have oppositely inclined cam surfaces 39 and lill. The tip ofthe projection 38 tapers to engage with the arm surfaces 39 when themembers 9 and Iii are in their open position While the head 2T istapered as at 4l to engage with the arm surfaces 39 when the members arein their closed position in which the arms Il and I2 are in contact withthat part of the handle 5 establishing the chamber 6. In order that thearms I l and l2 are rigidly held in that position, the projection 38 istapered as at 42 to engage with the arm surfaces 40.

From the foregoing, it will be apparent that life-saving devices inaccordance with my invention are well adapted for emergency use. thehandle 33 is operated, the device has insufficient buoyancy to interferewith the life saver so that he may carry it with him under Water if Ynecessary. It may easily be applied to the neck of the drowning personwith one hand vand when the handle 33 is operated, the life saver mayrelease his hold on the victim since the device is then inflated and themembers 9 and I0 closed around the victims neck and, at the same time,the handle provides means by which the life saver may tow the rescuedperson to safety.

What I therefore claim and desire to secure by Letters Patent is:

1. A life-saving device comprising a handle, a pair ofv arcuate membersconnected at one end to said handle so that at least one of them ispivotable so that it may be swung to establish an open position and aclosed position, said members being of such shape as to substantiallyencircle the neck in said closed position and in said open position toenable a neck to be straddled thereby, an extensible air-tight coversecured to said handle and including a sheath portion for each member, asupport in said handle for an inflating cartridge, means movably mountedin said handle and operable to open a cartridge in said support and toengage said members to swing them from their open position to a closedposition, said cartridge when opened being in communication with saidsheaths, and said means including an operating member mounted on saidhandle.

2. A life-saving device comprising a handle, a pair of arcuate membersconnected at one end to said handle to swing from a normally openposition in which their other ends are spaced apart to -straddle theneck of a person in danger of drowning into a closed positionsubstantially encircling the neck, an extensible air-tight cover securedto vsaid handle and including a sheath portion for each member, asupport in said handle for an inflating cartridge, means movably mountedin said handle and operable to open a cartridge in said support and toengage said members to swing them from their open position to a closedposition, said cartridge when opened being in communication with saidsheaths,V and said means including an operating member mounted on saidhandle.

3. The life-saving device of claim 2 in which each of the membersconsists of a frame.

4. A life-saving device comprising a handle, a pair of arcuate membersconnected at one end to said handle to swing from a normally openposition in which their other ends are spaced apart to straddle the neckof a person in danger of drowning into a closed position substantiallyencircling the neck, each of said members including an arm having a camsurface, an extensible airtight cover secured to said handle andincluding a sheath portion for each member, a support in said handle foran inating cartridge, means movably mounted in said handle and operableto Until Y open a cartridge in said support and including a Wedge-shapedhead engageable with said cam surfaces thereby to swing said membersfrom their open position to their closed position, said 5 cartridge whenopened being in communication with said sheaths, and said meansincluding an operating member mounted on said handle.

5. A life-saving device comprising a handle having a chamber in one ofits ends, a pair of .l0 arcuate members connected to said handleadjacent said end to swing from an open, neckstraddling position into aclosed, neck-encircling position and including a pair of arms extendinginto said chamber and having oppositely inclined surfaces, spring meansin said handle and connected to each arm normally holding said membersin their open position, an extensible airtight cover secured to saidhandle and including a sheath portion for each member, a support in saidhandle for an iniiating cartridge, slidable means in said handleincluding cartridge opening means and also including Wedge meansengageable with said cam surfaces, and an operating member mounted onsaid handle to actuate said slidable means to open said cartridge and towedge said members into said closed positions, said cartridge, whenopened, 'being in communication with the interior of said sheaths.

6. The device of claim 5 in which the arms engage the handle when themembers are in their closed position and the arms and the wedge meanshave coacting surfaces to limit the movement of the slidable means andto lock said members against movement from their closed position Yuntilthe operating member is moved towards its original position.

7. A life-saving device comprising a handle having a chamber in one ofits ends, a pair of i arcuate members connected to said handle adiacentsaid end to swing from an open, neckstraddling position into a closed,neck-encircling position and including a pair of arms extending intosaid chamber and having oppositely inclined surfaces, an extensibleair-tight cover secured to said handle and including a sheath portionfor each member, a, chamber in the other end of said handle establishinga seat for theV base of at least one inating cartridge, slidable meansin said handle comprising a detachable head including yieldablecartridge seating and cartridge opening means for each cartridge .andalso including wedge means engageable with said cam surfaces, and anoperating member mounted on said handle to actuate said slidable meansto open said cartridge and to Wedge said members into said closedpositions, said cartridge, when opened, being in communicationwith theinterior of said sheaths, and a cap secured to said handle closing saidsecond named chamber.

FORBES MACKENZIE.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the fue ofthis patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Claus May 26, 1931

